Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

4 posters

Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

Post by Bibi Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:46 am


Accused in Shania Twain stalker case tells court he will plead guilty
Shania Twain tells court Ottawa doctor's letters made her uncomfortable

The Canadian Press
By Nick Patch
September 29, 2011

The trial of a man accused of stalking Canadian country star Shania Twain got off to a dramatic start Thursday when the accused interrupted testimony and declared in an outburst that he would plead guilty.

Appearing via video link in a Toronto courtroom, Twain testified that the former Ottawa doctor's lovelorn letters and unexpected visits at her family cottage made her feel uncomfortable.

“They were uncomfortable letters, they were very personal,” Twain told court.

“They were more like love letters, not so much fan mail.”

After reading from a series of letters allegedly sent by Palumbo — in which he declared his love for the Timmins, Ont., country singer again and again — Twain was asked how a specific passage made her feel.

“It makes me feel uncomfortable and it makes me also feel a little bit sad and just a bit awkward,” she said.

Twain testified that she had to hire 24-hour security for an extended-family gathering at her cottage in Dwight, Ont., in 2009 because Palumbo was seen repeatedly parked in his Lamborghini down the road.

And she also alleged that Palumbo visited her brother-in-law's auto shop with a supposed car issue because he wanted to be closer to her.

“The manipulation scared me a bit,” said Twain.

“I was disturbed by that.”

After roughly 90 minutes of Twain's testimony, Palumbo — clad in a rumpled black suit and wire-frame glasses — abruptly stood and announced that he'd had enough.

“Eilleen, you can trust me, I'm going to plead guilty,” he said, using Twain's real first name.

“I've been offended too much, your honour.”

The trial is scheduled to last three days.

Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
Bibi
Bibi

Posts : 175
Join date : 2011-08-11
Age : 36
Location : Spain

Back to top Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty Re: Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

Post by Bibi Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:49 am

Twain feared stalker who sent 'disturbing' love letters, singer testifies

Ottawa Citizen
By Linda Nguyen, Postmedia News
September 29, 2011

TORONTO — An Ottawa doctor accused of stalking Shania Twain for the past three years by repeatedly trying to meet her in person and sending her countless love letters, made the country singer fearful to return to Canada, an Ontario Court of Justice was told Thursday.

"I don't consider him a fan," the Timmins, Ont.-born singer told the court via video link from an undisclosed location in Europe. "I consider him a man who is pursuing me inappropriately."

Dr. Giovanni "John" Palumbo, 51, faces charges of criminal harassment, violating court orders and breaching bail conditions following his arrest last March at Toronto's Air Canada Centre where Twain was being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the Juno Awards.

The surgeon had been ordered to not go within 500 metres of Twain and was prohibited from travelling to Toronto, unless he was requested to be there by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons.

During the first day of his criminal trial, Twain testified she became "afraid" of Palumbo after she started receiving "disturbing love letters" from him at her Switzerland home in the spring of 2009.

Dressed in a V-neck, white sweater, with her hair in a ponytail, the 46-year-old singer seemed relaxed at the beginning of her testimony but became increasingly concerned as she recalled specific letters Palumbo had written her.

Twain said the letters often were addressed to her by her given name, "Eilleen Regina," and were "different than fan mail" she usually received because Palumbo did not understand "the reality" that the two would never have a romantic relationship.

"(The letters) make me uncomfortable and a little bit sad, awkward," she told Justice Richard Schneid.

During the testimony, Palumbo's neat printing and handwriting in the letters were displayed on a projector for the court to see. In them, he repeatedly asked Twain, who is married, to go on dates with him.

"'I was totally amazed by you since I first noticed you 15 years ago,'" read Twain from a letter dated February 2009. "I love you more than anyone in the universe . . . . I love you.'"

Twain said she was particularly concerned when one of the letters talked about them getting together "a.s.a.p. so we can get to know each other."

In another, Palumbo quoted lyrics from one of her songs, said Twain.

"'If you really want to touch her — ask. So I'm asking and I will wait,'" she read from a June 2009 letter.

The letters often talked about the two being "perfect for each other" and teased Twain about "playing hard to get."

She became so alarmed that summer that she hired 24-hour security when she vacationed at her Dwight, Ont., cottage after finding Palumbo parked outside in a Lamborghini and another time boating back and forth on the adjacent lake.

She said Palumbo once went to her brother-in-law's auto shop near the cottage and pretended he needed to get his car fixed to try to find out more information about her whereabouts.

EMD OPTIONAL TRIM

Twain admitted that she temporarily felt "empathy" toward Palumbo, who also wrote to her about his divorce and suicidal thoughts but then became "disturbed" when she realized he was "speaking to me like a lover . . . someone I didn't even know."

That summer, she also did not attend her grandmother's funeral in Timmins because she was afraid he was going to be there. She later found out he was. Twain also said she would have skipped the Junos, too, if she had known he was going to ignore his restraining order and be in the crowd.

"I believed at that moment I was vulnerable and there was nothing that could stop him," she said.

Palumbo had been arrested in November 2009 on similar charges related to Twain but those were withdrawn when she declined to appear in court to testify against him.

"I sort of froze when I was told I had to get more involved," she recalled. "I was trying to get away, not more involved . . . He was very much at the forefront of my thinking."

Palumbo, who has a history with mental issues, has maintained that Twain is unaware of his case and that it's her handlers who want him prosecuted.

Thursday was the first time he has ever heard Twain's response to his gestures of love.

At one point during the testimony, Palumbo addressed Twain in an unexpected outburst in the courtroom.

"Eilleen," he shouted from the prisoner box, addressing her by her real first name, "you can trust me. I am going to plead guilty. I've been offended too much, your honour."

Following the outburst, Palumbo's lawyer, Gary Barnes, quickly asked for a recess until after lunch.

Once the trial resumed the Crown was asked whether there were concerns about Palumbo's fitness to stand trial.

The defence said no, leaving the guilty plea to stand.

The trial has been scheduled to continue for two more days.

Source: www.ottawacitizen.com
Bibi
Bibi

Posts : 175
Join date : 2011-08-11
Age : 36
Location : Spain

Back to top Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty An article from the Toronto Star which includes a letter sent to Shania

Post by Bibi Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:51 am

Twain testifies she wants no contact with accused stalker

Toronto Star
By Curtis Rush
September 29, 2011

The trial began with a stunning twist when accused stalker Dr. John Palumbo stood up and addressed the court.

The shaggy-haired 51-year-old doctor said he felt “offended” by the testimony from international music star Shania Twain and said he was changing his plea to guilty in his stalking trial in Toronto.

At the end of day, hours after Palumbo returned and composed himself and the parties agreed he was fit to mentally stand trial, the proceedings went on and Twain was given the last word.

She was asked if she wanted to have any contact with her accused stalker in the future.

After a pause, she answered in an even and measured tone, with no hint of malice.

“No, I’m afraid not,” Twain said, appearing by video link from an undisclosed location in Europe.

With that, the first day of a bizarre day of testimony was over. The 46-year-old star will return Friday to face cross-examination from defence lawyer Gary Barnes.

Palumbo has been in jail since March 27 when he was accused of breaching an order to stay away from the Canadian music legend.

The court heard Thursday that Palumbo sent Twain a series of love letters and flowers in 2009 and excerpts of those letters were read out in court, the tone growing more serious with each letter as he pressed the music star to meet with him.

In one letter, he states: “You like to sing, ‘Let’s go girls,’ well now I’m saying to you, ‘let’s go girl’ and meet …”

Later in the letter, he states: “Again I agree with you completely when you sing, ‘If you really want to touch her, ask.’ So I am asking, and I will wait until and if you consent.”

Letters were followed by attempts to see her in person.

In 2009, he is accused of following her to her summer cottage on Lake of the Bays and he even turned up at her grandmother’s funeral in August of that year, Twain said.

In one letter entered as an exhibit, the doctor seems to be struggling in a miserable place in life.

“I am not interested in my career and spend most of my time distracting myself (while thinking of you!). Unlike you, however, I have no fans, only enemies, it seems.”

At the end of the letter, Palumbo’s tone grows darker.

“Perhaps, because we are so perfectly matched, everyone that knows us is afraid of what would happen if we met. It is possible that there would suddenly be hell on earth, but it’s also possible that there would suddenly be heaven on earth.”

Then he accuses of her “of playing hard to get.”

In February of 2010, Twain filed an affidavit to the Ottawa police in which she stated that she “found the content of the letters to be disturbing.”

She added that his correspondence and attention “toward me is unwanted and has caused me to be concerned for my own safety and the safety of my son and others associated with us.”

The criminal harassment case was brought to trial in Ottawa earlier this year. However, Twain didn’t show up, saying she wanted to be as far away as she could, and the charges were dropped.

This time is different.

Twain, dressed in white V-neck top and her hair in a ponytail, was cordial and showed little angst or emotion as she talked of the love letters she was getting from “this stranger.”

It was much more intimate than anything she had ever seen from a fan and the tone of the letters became stronger as he pressed Twain to meet with him.

She indicated she was becoming “afraid” of him, but at times she seemed to be more sorry for the Ottawa doctor, who had split from his wife.

In 2009, Palumbo was convicted of assault and uttering death threats against his ex-wife.

In court Thursday, Twain said she was worried he was becoming “suicidal” and grew worried when she learned from her security team that Palumbo had been issued a restraining order against his ex-wife.

The drama came just before noon, when Palumbo shocked the courtroom by suddenly standing and calling out to her and the judge.

“Eilleen, you can trust me, I’m going to plead guilty,” he said.

“I’ve been offended too much, your honour.”

Twain was testifying about him appearing near her summer home and she said “I was embarrassed” that he was there following her movement by car and by boat only metres from the shoreline.

Palumbo was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom as the judge called a 20-minute recess, which ultimately became a lunch break as Palumbo’s lawyer met with his client behind closed doors.

At 2 p.m., the trial resumed, with all parties agreeing that Palumbo was mentally fit to stand trial, and the proceedings carried on.

At the outset of her testimony earlier in the day, Twain’s demeanour was calm and composed.

Several times early on the court had to adjust the volume on the video and even then Twain’s voice came across as tinny.

Early on, she even smiled to the camera. But her tone grew more serious as excerpts from love letters sent by Palumbo were read out in court and displayed on a large projection screen.

Palumbo was dressed in a dark overcoat with a dark sports jacket underneath. With his shaggy grey hair cascading down the back of his neck, the bespectacled doctor watched proceedings quietly after the earlier outburst.

At one point Twain said she was “upset” that the accused had talked to her brother-in-law in Ontario as a means to meet her.

She referred to this as “manipulation.”

Palumbo, who once made a six-figure salary and drove a Lamborghini, was arrested in March of this year at the Air Canada Centre, where Twain was appearing at the Juno Awards.

There was no evidence to show that Palumbo made direct contact with the singer or showed any threatening conduct toward her.

In one handwritten letter, Palumbo started: “Dear Shania, how are you? Have you received any of the letters I’ve been sending you?”

In a May 19 letter, he included a photo of himself and mentioned that he saw her at an award show in Ottawa.

“I was amazed by you since the first time I met you 15 years ago,” Twain read from the letter, adding that the statement made her feel uncomfortable.

“I love you more than anybody else in the world could love you,” the letter went on. “I will do anything and everything for you. I need you.”

In a letter from June 2009, he wrote, “As always I can’t stop thinking about you. Everyone I see reminds me of you.” Twain testified that the letter “made me feel a bit sad.”

“I felt bad that I couldn’t reciprocate. I am a married woman,” she told the court.

Later in the same letter, Palumbo wrote, “I think we should meet soon.”

Twain said she became uncomfortable with Palumbo’s attempts to have a romantic relationship.

“It gave me the impression that I was being asked on a date," she said.

When the crown attorney asked her if she wished to date Palumbo, Twain responded, “No.”

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Letter10

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Letter11

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Letter12


Source:
www.thestar.com
Bibi
Bibi

Posts : 175
Join date : 2011-08-11
Age : 36
Location : Spain

Back to top Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty Re: Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

Post by Greek fanatic Mon Oct 03, 2011 3:52 am

creepy guy,those letters are really scary.
Greek fanatic
Greek fanatic

Posts : 88
Join date : 2011-08-04
Location : USA

Back to top Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty Re: Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

Post by Bibi Mon Oct 03, 2011 5:25 am

yes... really they are :/
Bibi
Bibi

Posts : 175
Join date : 2011-08-11
Age : 36
Location : Spain

Back to top Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty Re: Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

Post by Matthew Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:27 am

Wow, poor Shania. Couldn't even go to her grandmothers funeral.

Why is this guy not locked up somewhere?

Matthew

Posts : 178
Join date : 2011-08-04
Age : 35
Location : Adelaide, Australia

Back to top Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty Re: Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

Post by eilleen333 Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:17 am

Why are there so many sick people in this world? I mean, not taking no for an answer is one thing, but this is just insane. Hope they can solve this problem soon so this guy can't bug Shania any longer.
Guess this guy thought he'd stand a chance after her divorce with Mutt or something.. Weirdo...

eilleen333

Posts : 25
Join date : 2011-08-23
Age : 35
Location : The Netherlands

Back to top Go down

Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable Empty Re: Shania Tells Court Ottawa Stalker's Letters Made Her Uncomfortable

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum